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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27201379">on space (or lack thereof)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ro29/pseuds/Ro29'>Ro29</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Messing around in the Soft Wars Sandbox [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M, No angst!, Platonic Cuddling, both pre and post the war, brothers being brothers, soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:40:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,238</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27201379</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ro29/pseuds/Ro29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>or, two of the times Fox shared space with someone and nothing hurt</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-1010 | Fox &amp; CC-8826 | Neyo, CC-1010 | Fox/CC-6454 | Ponds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Messing around in the Soft Wars Sandbox [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>178</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Open Source Soft Wars</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fox and Neyo (Before the war)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/gifts">Project0506</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TessaDoesThings/gifts">TessaDoesThings</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25744600">Friendship Is (Space) Magic</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/pseuds/Project0506">Project0506</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you to the lovely Projie for letting me play around in your sandbox and many thanks to the lovely Tessa for letting me snatch your prompt!</p><p>Edit: *facepalm* accidentally tagged as MCD on posting whoops, fixed now!!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fox huffs, rolls in the space the bunk gives them and shifts until he’s comfortable. There’s a quiet huff, indignant at being moved from a comfy position and Fox pinches at the arm that’s now curled around his waist.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There’s an elbow, sharp and pointed, poking into his side, and a body flopped carelessly on top of him.</p><p> </p><p>Fox huffs, rolls in the space the bunk gives them and shifts until he’s comfortable. There’s a quiet huff, indignant at being moved from a comfy position and Fox pinches at the arm that’s now curled around his waist.</p><p> </p><p>Neyo hisses and knocks their heads together, just a little too rough for a Keldabe.</p><p> </p><p>Fox grins, nudges back at him. Neyo grumbles, shifts until he’s comfortable as well, with their legs tangled together and tiny hands holding each other. They aren’t, technically, <em>supposed</em> to be sharing a bunk. But they’re both little enough and the bunk big enough, that it isn’t too difficult.</p><p> </p><p>Besides, it’s warmer curled up with each other then it would be if they were alone.</p><p> </p><p>The soft breaths of Gree and Colt are calming and it’s easy to close his eyes and let sleep come, the rhythmic rise and fall of Neyo’s chest comforting and steady, everpresent.</p><p> </p><p>When he’s woken it feels like he only just closed his eyes, sleep clinging to him and he yawns, listens to the amused “Why is there a cadet missing from a perfectly good bunk?” and blinks up at Alpha-6, debates turning over and going back to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>6’s raised eyebrow makes him decide against it and he smiles as he sits up, wide eyed and innocent and a little sleepy, and purposefully avoids the question. “We were sleeping.”</p><p> </p><p>6 snorts, “I can see that, now why were you not sleeping in your own bunks? Neyo?”</p><p> </p><p>Neyo shifts, sits up from where he’d most likely pulled the blanket over his head when he’d heard 6 come in—Fox tries to decide whether to get him back for trying to leave him to deal with it alone, or to let it go since Neyo let him get more sleep, decides to make his mind up later after they deal with 6—and rubs at his eyes to try and get rid of the sleepiness, “Better sleep means we can beat the Shebs at the next sims. It was <em>very</em> important we share a bunk.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox nods very seriously, looks up at Alpha 6 with wide eyes and a pleading expression that he’s found can <em>sometimes </em>work if he does it well enough and doesn’t push it too overboard.</p><p> </p><p>“It was a <em>very</em> well thought out plan.” he says, and when it doesn’t look like 6 will be swayed by that line of reasoning decides to try a different tactic. Some of the Littles have a hard time getting all their words right and it endears them to a lot of the older Cadets, let’s them get things easier then if someone else had asked.</p><p> </p><p>“And besides, it would be <em>cruel</em> to separate us.” he lets his s’s slip into ‘th’s’ and it doesn’t sound <em>quite</em> right but it’s too late now.</p><p> </p><p>Neyo leans into Fox’s shoulder, doesn’t try the lisp but runs with the general idea, copies the face Fox is making. “Yeah! We’re <em>tubies, </em>imagine how mean it would be to make us sleep in separate bunks. You’d have to be <em>awful </em>to do that.”</p><p> </p><p>There’s a muffled laugh from Colt’s bunk and Fox makes a note to <em>absolutely</em> trip him later.</p><p> </p><p>6’s expression is half amused and half exhausted frustration and Fox allows himself a second to think, ‘<em>Might’ve overdone it with the lisp, osik</em>.’</p><p> </p><p>6 snorts, “Those faces aren’t going to work you two, I know for a <em>fact</em> that you aren’t tubies.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox narrows his eyes, “Do you have <em>proof </em>that we aren’t tubies?”</p><p> </p><p>6 blinks, “Yes?” but it sounds more like a question. Fox gives him a look, raised eyebrow and all, and looks at Neyo who nods at him in mock seriousness.</p><p> </p><p>Neyo turns to look at 6 and says, matter of factly “No, you have a <em>theory</em>, you can’t prove whether we’re tubies or not. And since you took <em>forever</em> to finally tell us apart, that means we’re <em>definitely</em> tubies and it would be awful of you to make us sleep in separate bunks.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox smiles, nods with the most serious air he can muster, and watches 6 turn to stare down a giggling Gree.</p><p> </p><p>“You are of no help whatsoever.”</p><p> </p><p>Gree giggles again, scrambles out of his bunk, “I <em>told</em> them they’d get in trouble.”</p><p> </p><p>Neyo sticks his tongue out at Gree and Fox glares. Gree just giggles again and starts getting ready. When 6 turns back to look at them they both look up at him with innocent faces.</p><p> </p><p>6 sighs, looks at the two of them.</p><p> </p><p>Neyo blinks, pouts.</p><p> </p><p>6 raises an eyebrow. Fox makes a note that Neyo’s pleading expression looks remarkably like he’s plotting something.</p><p> </p><p>6 gives him a stern look and Fox rubs at his eyes, yawns for effect, blinks.</p><p> </p><p>6 pinches at the bridge of his nose, “You’re both <em>awful</em>. And need to be a <em>lot</em> better at manipulating people if you want this to work.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox frowns and tries to think of anything else he can try. Colt snorts from somewhere on the other side of the room and Neyo flops across his lap. Fox pokes at him to try to get him to move, but Neyo just waves a hand at his attempts and settles in comfortably. Fox huffs, tickles him and Neyo laughs, twists to grab for his hands and holds them tight.</p><p> </p><p>6 watches them with smiling eyes even as his expression remains unchanged.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you <em>sure</em>?” Neyo tries once he’s caught his breath.</p><p> </p><p>6 gives them a stern look, “<em>Yes</em>, now get going and <em>no more sharing bunk</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Neyo huffs and pouts.</p><p> </p><p>6 rolls his eyes at them, gives them a final look, but Fox watches the amused curl of 6’s mouth before he turns away from them.</p><p> </p><p>Neyo pokes at him and Fox looks down, Neyo stares up at him and his smile is delighted and gleeful, “Your lisp was <em>awful</em>.” he whispers and laughs, keeps laughing even after Fox pushes him off his lap and onto the ground.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love them!!! They deserve nice things</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Fox and Ponds (After the war)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ponds gives a pleased hum, presses his face against Fox’s neck and tangles their legs together even more than they already were.</p><p>He rolls his eyes, brings a hand up and scratches at the back of Ponds’ head with dulled nails, sighs in exasperation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is also known as "The one where Ro pretends to know anything about interior design at all."</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There’s an elbow poking into his side as he tries to wriggle out of the grip he’s stuck in. As he shifts, the elbow presses pointedly deeper and he pinches it to little effect. It stays for a second longer before accommodating the change, the arm it belongs to wrapping tightly around him.</p><p> </p><p>Fox huffs, moves a little to test the grip a final time and gets only a tighter hold for his troubles.</p><p> </p><p>He gives up, the ability to break Ponds’ holds is something not even the rest of his squad of idiots have figured out how to do yet. There’s little hope for Fox to do it, not with how tight it is, how relaxed he feels and how drowsy he is.</p><p> </p><p>Ponds gives a pleased hum, presses his face against Fox’s neck and tangles their legs together even more than they already were.</p><p> </p><p>He rolls his eyes, brings a hand up and scratches at the back of Ponds’ head with dulled nails, sighs in exasperation.</p><p> </p><p>Ponds exhales and the breath tickles at Fox’s neck. He slaps a lazy hand against Ponds’ side, gets only laughter for it and a foot nudged against his ankle. Fingers tapping against Fox’s upper back to the different clicking beats in their room.</p><p> </p><p>The sound of the different trinkets is comforting in a strange sort of way.</p><p> </p><p>Not awful, just something he’d ever have gotten if it was just him, not something he normally goes for at all.</p><p> </p><p>The trinkets are all Ponds’, and they rotate them occasionally, maybe every other week. And then a different combination of them will be in the room and a slightly different beat will play. Some of them are from shopping trips, some Ponds brought. Others, Fox knows, Ponds’ Jedi gave him.</p><p> </p><p>He’ll send more over occasionally, always just when Ponds starts getting antsy. Fox hasn’t figured out how yet, it’s <em>probably</em> <em>jetti</em> nonsense, but he’s not entirely sure how that works when Windu is on Coruscant and they <em>aren’t</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Ponds likes bringing it up to watch him twitch.</p><p> </p><p>He huffs at the thought, presses his fingers hard into the spot on Ponds' shoulder blades that always carries tension. Ponds sighs, relaxes, presses his head against Fox’s chest.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm, did you make someone cry?”</p><p> </p><p>Fox grins, “<em>Absolutely</em>. Fucking <em>idiot</em> decided to put the most hideous fucking wallpaper I’ve ever seen over <em>perfectly</em> good wood, it made their fucking gorgeous counter look tacky and <em>cheap</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>He scowls, pure disgust and affront as he remembers the fucking <em>awful</em> excuse of a room, and Ponds giggles at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh they <em>absolutely</em> deserved that then,” He notes with glee, skitters fingers up Fox’s arm and asks with joyfully morbid curiosity, ”How bad was the rest of it?”</p><p> </p><p>Fox shrugs, “They took out the fireplace, which was good, it made no fucking sense to have one when it’s never actually fucking <em>cold</em>. But then they kept the wall separating the dining room and the family room and had <em>even more</em> ugly ass wallpaper that clashed with the other fucking wallpaper they used.” Ponds huffs, makes a disgusted noise.</p><p> </p><p>Fox pats his back, continues detailing the awful design choices.</p><p> </p><p>“The entire fucking place was big enough that it should <em>not</em> have felt as fucking claustrophobic as it did.” Ponds nods, hums. Fox digs his fingers in harder and Ponds relaxes completely with a low groan followed by a sigh.</p><p> </p><p>“We tore out a lot of the fucking walls, and even with us keeping all the ones needed for support, it opened up the house a fuck more than before. The downstairs floor was an atrocity, it was a carpet that was a fucking <em>off white</em> <em>and</em> <em>beige</em> that looked less like an actual fucking colour choice and more like it was fucking stained. And the carpet switched over to a fucking <em>salmon</em> colour halfway through.”</p><p> </p><p>Ponds makes another disgusted noise, mutters under his breath. Fox nods, vindicated, and scowls, “The fucking idiot tore out what was apparently <em>gorgeous </em>fucking obsidian and replaced it with <em>that</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Ponds laughs, “They <em>didn’t</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“They <em>did.”</em></p><p> </p><p>“Oh <em>stars</em>,” Ponds cackles, “That’s <em>awful</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox grins, vicious, “It was <em>amazing</em> for my stress levels.”</p><p> </p><p>The snickers are muffled where Ponds presses his face against Fox’s chest, and he huffs, twists them on their sides.</p><p> </p><p>There’s a grumble and Ponds goes for a nerve strike half-heartedly as he pouts, “<em>Rude</em>, was comfy.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox rolls his eyes, knocks his knuckles against Ponds head, “Tough luck.”</p><p> </p><p>“My <em>arm’s</em> gonna fall asleep.” Ponds mutters, even as he settles and latches tighter onto Fox.</p><p> </p><p>Fox snorts, unsympathetic to his plight when he’s wrapped around Fox like a limpet.</p><p> </p><p>“How are the rest of your fucking idiots?” He asks.</p><p> </p><p>‘<em>Is there any interesting dirt on them’, </em>Ponds probably, <em>correctly</em>, hears.</p><p> </p><p>Ponds laughs, knocks his head against Fox’s and hums, faking thoughtfulness.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re all doing fine, nothing particularly interesting outside of Wolffe still trying and failing to get his boyfriend to understand that they’re dating.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox flicks at Ponds, doesn’t <em>say</em> hypocrite. Ponds picks it up anyways.</p><p> </p><p>“Not the same thing.” He maintains. Fox snorts, shrugs one shoulder, allows it.</p><p> </p><p>There’s a quiet hum, a yawn as the tapping starts again on Fox’s ribs. He huffs, pinches at Ponds side, gets a tired giggle.</p><p> </p><p>“There <em>was</em> apparently a brawl and a concerning amount of explosives involved. According to Bly, Wolffe looked like he was either going to murder Hardcase or kiss him senseless.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox snorts. It tracks. Ponds nods, “Yeah, it’s a bit ridiculous.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox’s thought of <em>hypocrite</em> once again goes unsaid. He flicks at the back of Ponds head, debates using Ponds sleepiness to his advantage and placing <em>him</em> in a hold to get out of the now much looser hold he’s stuck in. Decides against it, too comfortable to bother.</p><p> </p><p>Ponds’ takes the flick with only a token protest, a light smack to the side, and a huff.</p><p> </p><p>“They’ll get it eventually,” Ponds says, optimistically in Fox’s opinion.</p><p> </p><p>Ponds looks at him, grimaces, “<em>Hopefully</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Fox snorts, taps his fingers against Ponds’ forearm with a “<em>Kot</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Ponds rolls his eyes, slaps at Fox’s hand and it devolves from there, though they’re too tired for a proper wrestle and it’s half-hearted at best.</p><p> </p><p>Fox pins him and Ponds laughs, headbutts him and gets a grip on him. Rolls them over to the other side of the bed and settles like that, sighs happily and nudges at Fox until he rolls his eyes. He waits until Ponds relaxes enough and pinches at his side when he does, grabs him, flips them back to the way they settled before the wrestle. Ponds flicks him as he settles, hums in contentment, yawns.</p><p> </p><p>The soft tick of a spinning trinket, combined with the quiet whir of one of the moving ones and the gentle noises of the various others around the room make him feel drowsy.</p><p> </p><p>Ponds sighs, tightens his grip around Fox and presses against him.</p><p> </p><p>Fox flicks at him, presses a hand against the back of his neck and feels the gentle, rhythmic, rise and fall of Ponds’ chest. That, combined with the long day of travel, makes it easy to give in to sleep. Let his eye’s slip closed listening to the gentle sounds around him and, between one breath and the next, finally drift off to sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you want to find me other places I have a <a href="https://rose-blooms-red.tumblr.com">writing tumblr</a> and a <a href="https://themessofthecentury.tumblr.com">fandom tumblr</a> </p><p>Please come yell at me about Star Wars and DC!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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